


Home

by confusednerdling



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Demon!Waverly, F/F, Wynonna and Nicole brOTP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 07:11:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11053920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/confusednerdling/pseuds/confusednerdling
Summary: “Now, now, officer. You know the deal. I will get out of the measly body if you kill Wynonna Earp,” it snarled. It was weird to hear Waverly snarl, really. It cemented the fact that this was sonotWaverly Earp. It was a fucking demon. Nicole reminded that to herself like it was a damn mantra. Sometimes, she would whisper it under her breath when Waverly looked too…Waverlyand the demon let her gaze on brown eyes instead of black coal ones.“I’m not killing Wy,” Nicole said determinedly. It was the first thing she said that she was sure of in a long time. “We’ll find another way,”





	Home

Her girlfriend was a demon.

_Her girlfriend was a demon._

Well, Waverly wasn’t a demon, but there was a demon in her, living in her. Using her face. Using her voice. Seeing through her eyes - her beautiful brown eyes. Using her hands, her feet, her lips. 

There was a demon in her girlfriend, puppeteering her like Waverly was nothing but a disguise. Like Waverly was nothing.

It made Nicole sick. It all made Nicole sick. All of it. 

She took another swig of whiskey and pressed her back against the barn door. She ignored the whipping of the cold wind. She ignored the lights from the homestead that signified someone was home. She ignored the pity she had seen in Doc’s eyes. She ignored it all. It didn’t matter anyway. 

Waverly was all that mattered. 

“Drinking yourself to death?” Wynonna mused. Nicole wished she didn’t jump when she saw the brunnette. She hadn’t even heard her. Some lookout she was, but before she could say anything, Wynonna plopped down beside her. “I thought that was kind of my thing,”

Nicole passed her the bottle and said nothing. 

“How she doing?” Wynonna asked in a soft voice. 

“She’s fine, but I haven’t…” Nicole slurred before stopping abruptly. Her fingers jumped to the deep claw marks on her clavicle that were carved into her skin by pretty pink nails that she had painted two weeks ago. Waverly’s nails. She winced, took the bottle, and took another swig. “I haven’t been in there since the demon attacked me this morning,” she finished. 

“This is fucked up, isn’t it?” Wynonna murmured. She pressed the back of her head to the barn door. On the other side, her sister laid in Doc’s bed with her wrist chained. Yet here she sat next to Nicole, and the two felt just as caged. “Do you think…”

“What?”

“What if we can’t get rid of it? The demon, I mean,” Wynonna bit her lip. “I don’t think I can survive if I lose another sister,” And her voice got soft, got vulnerable.

“I don’t want to be in a world where that _thing_ parades in my girlfriend’s body,”

Wynonna blinked, and the mask returned. “Where’s my walking bumping sticker?”

Nicole said nothing. 

The two looked off at the homestead. It was a place that used to symbolize safety, but now, it just reminded them of the good times - pancakes and impromptu singing, dance parties, pillow fights, some of the best sex of Nicole’s life, researching together and _Waverly_. Waverly just being herself. Waverly cooking. Waverly yelling. Waverly kissing. Waverly being Waverly - not this demon, this black ooze, this cloud of pain and misery. 

“I miss her,” Nicole said. And she didn’t even mean to say it. And it wasn’t all she wanted to say. She wanted to scream. She wanted to rant and vent and ramble about how it wasn’t fair, how she would throw herself into that black ooze over and over again if she could to save Waverly from this, that she wanted to quit the force and spend her days guarding Waverly, protecting her from herself, from the demon, from everything because it was all too much. But all she said was three simple words and Wynonna understood.

She passed the bottle back.

“I do too,”

The two fell asleep like that - Wynonna’s head on Nicole’s shoulder, Nicole leaned against the door, and a bottle of scotch tightly gripped in her hand. 

\----

Nicole woke up feeling like shit. But that was something she was used to. 

There was always this terrible moment right when she woke up, when the morning sun would leak into her room, where her sleep-addled state would trick her into thinking everything was alright. It would trick her into thinking that Waverly was sleeping soundly beside her or that Waverly was in the bathroom with water droplets running down her beautiful skin and hair or that Waverly was downstairs making coffee for Nicole and tea for herself and she was about to slam open their bedroom door and jump into bed with Nicole and say how she could do this for the rest of their lives.

But then, Nicole would snap awake. She would fumble in bed looking for her petite girlfriend under the covers. She would search the bathroom and the kitchen and do a check of all the rooms until reality finally settled and the mirage was gone. 

And then Nicole would end up feeling like shit. 

She woke up in the homestead on Waverly’s bed. The very place where they had spent so many nights. She ran her fingers against the pillows. 

She wondered who carried her. Wynonna certainly couldn’t have. 

But she didn’t care. She picked herself up out of bed, put on a baggy sweater and dark jeans, and went outside paying no mind to Wynonna who was seated in the living room or Doc who called her name to invite her to breakfast. She ignored them all, walked to the barn, opened the door, and entered. 

\---

“ _I didn’t think we’d see you again_ ,” not-Waverly said in a very Waverly voice. She - No, _it_ was lying in the bed in the barn with her wrists handcuffed and her eyes dark and foggy. Not brown. Not beautiful. 

Nicole said nothing and took the seat she had occupied before...the incident. It was the closest seat to Waverly without being too close. It had been moved back two inches after yesterday morning. 

“ _I’m sure you’re used to waking up to different types of marks on your body in the morning, Officer_ ,”

“Don’t talk to me,” she grumbled under her breath. She focused her eyes on the beam, but let her fingers go and trance the marks on her collar bone. They were deep and stung with the touch. 

“ _Officer, don’t speak to me that way. As your girlfrie_ -”

“YOU ARE NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!” Nicole snapped. She slammed her fists into the chair and instantly regretted it. Her fists stung from the impact on wood. How many times was she going to get hurt this week? 

She took a deep breath. This wasn’t her. And this wasn’t Waverly. Nicole inhaled and exhaled and returned her gaze to the wood beam across the room. “I can’t wait to get you out of my girlfriend’s body so I can watch you go to Hell,” she hissed under her breath, but the demon got amusement out of this. It always did. 

“ _Now, now, officer. You know the deal. I will get out of the measly body if you kill Wynonna Earp_ ,” it snarled. It was weird to hear Waverly snarl, really. It cemented the fact that this was so not Waverly Earp. It was a fucking demon. Nicole reminded that to herself like it was a damn mantra. Sometimes, she would whisper it under her breath when Waverly looked too… _Waverly_ and the demon let her gaze on brown eyes instead of black coal ones. 

“I’m not killing Wy,” Nicole said determinedly. It was the first thing she said that she was sure of in a long time. “We’ll find another way,” 

Nicole was about to say something else, but she heard a knock on the barn door. She turned and watched as Wynonna slowly peeked her head out, did a small awkward wave, and inched toward the officer.

Then something changed. The air grew tense. Waverly’s body stiffened. And the demon began to thrash, to cause Waverly’s body to yank on the chains, to scream, to shake.

“ _DIE! DIE, BITCH! DIE! DIE! I WILL KILL YOU, HEIR!! DIE!_ ” 

Wynonna winced at her sis - _the demon’s_ words. And gave it an odd smile. “Yeah. Good fucking morning to you too, shithead,” She ignored the rest of the demon’s screams and pretended it didn’t bother her to hear such vile and cruel words be screeched in Waverly’s voice. Nicole did the same.

“Haught-cakes,” Wynonna managed a small and genuine smile. “Came in to tell you coffee’s ready,”

“You could have texted me so you didn’t have to - “ Nicole turned to the demon as spit flew and the handcuffs’ strength was truly tested as Waverly writhed and jerked around. 

“I did. You left your phone inside,” Wynonna explained. Her eyes’ drifted to her sister’s furious form. “Besides, I don’t feel too good letting you in here by yourself after yesterday,” She turned back to Nicole. “Sh - _It_ could have seriously hurt you,”

“ _AND I WILL! I WILL KILL THE OFFICER IF YOU DO NOT DIE, WYNONNA EARP! DIE!_ ”

“Maybe we should have this conversation out of the barn,” Wynonna grumbled, taking Nicole by the hand. 

She followed somberly. 

\---

The two sat at the kitchen table each nursing their own respective drinks - Nicole with a coffee and Wynonna with a glass of whatever alcohol she and Haught hadn’t drunk yet. 

“I’ve been thinking - “

“If you say, that you’re thinking about the demon’s offer then so help me - “

“No,” Wynonna cut her off with a raise of her hand. “No. I… Waverly wouldn’t want that. No. I’ve actually been thinking that I should offer myself up to the demon,”

Nicole frowned. “I’m not seeing how that’s different,”

“Like, as it’s new, uh, host or whatever,” Wynonna stated in what she thought was a very matter-of-fact voice, but to Nicole, it sounded tired. It sounded like she was giving up. And she was. 

Nicole kept her breath steady and looked into her friend’s eyes for a long moment before deciding to entertain Wynonna’s idea a bit. “How do we know it won’t kill you the moment it takes control?”

“Well, we don’t,”

“So what on Earth makes this a good idea?”

“Well,” Wynonna slammed her hand onto the table, exasperated. “It’s the only one we got, Haught-pants! Okay? Doc and Dolls have found absolutely nothing. We’ve all been reading Wave’s research, but there’s nothing and I…” Wynonna’s voice faltered. The mask was slipping off again. The vulnerability shined through. “You guys will have Waverly back - Doc, Dolls, _you_ , Hell, even the town. You’ll all get Waves back. You guys need her,”

“And what about you?” Nicole whispered. 

“This town doesn’t need me,” Wynonna said with a laugh. It was a sad laugh. A broken one. 

“You’re wrong. It does,”

“Well, yeah,” Wy rolled her eyes. “As the _heir_ , but even that is temporary. Black Badge Division has been able to deal with the supernatural, creepy crawlies, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night before me and they’ll live on after me,”

“No, Wynonna. This town doesn’t just need the heir. It needs _you_. I need you. Waves needs you,” Nicole took Wynonna’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Please. Just don’t…” She was searching for the right words. She found them in the words she desperately wanted to hear herself. “We can’t give up. There’s going to be another way to get rid of this thing,”

“I don’t think there is, Haughtstuff,”

“There will be. I know it. There always is. Waverly is going to wake up, and she is going to see her big sister. I promise you, Wy,” 

Wynonna considered Nicole for a moment. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly and her teeth sunk into her lip. And then she nodded and a small smile returned, “And, _there’s_ my walking bumper sticker,”

Nicole couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You’re ridiculous,”

“No, no, no. Haughtie-with-the-body, you can’t say that. Because you _need_ me,” Wynonna mocked with great affection. She stood, ruffled Nicole’s red hair, and headed toward the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the station to find something to kill this son of a bitch,”

\---

Nicole resumed her watch over Waverly. It was almost as if it was able to sense that Wynonna was out of the premise, because Waverly grew silent. Her dark eyes remained closed and her body was limp and the demon-Waverly slept soundly. Nicole sat guard.

She missed the station. She hadn’t left the homestead and the barn since Waverly was dragging in by Doc. She couldn’t bring herself to leave Waverly’s side. 

Because sometimes, _sometimes_ , the real Waverly would shine through. It was always brief and never long enough, but it was what Nicole and Wynonna needed to get through this fight. 

So Nicole resumed her watch, drinking coffee and watching Waverly sleep. 

It wasn’t a hard job really. After all, watching Waverly had always been a hobby of Nicole’s. It’s just now it’s because of something far more darker than love. 

\---

Days passed by slowly, and the wounds on Nicole’s collar slowly began to heal. 

She hadn’t been to work in a month now. Hell, she hadn’t left the homestead in a month. 

Waverly’s room now occupied a lot of Nicole’s things - her cat, for one, bottles of alcohol that were mostly empty on the nightstand, Nicole’s clothes scattered across the floor. She had considered keeping the room clean for Waverly, but this month was wearing away at her care for things. 

She was exhausted, sitting on the edge of Waverly’s bed in a tank and the shortest of shorts. And thing started to come back, like the events of the incident. 

It was time when Waverly was Waverly. Her eyes were brown and the moment Nicole entered the barn, she smiled. It wasn’t a cruel or mischievous smile. It was innocent and pure and so goddamn Waverly that Nicole could feel her walls, her barriers, all come crumbling down. 

And then Waverly - _her Waverly_ \- asked her to come closer, ask her to come closer to her with eyes big and brown and lips soft and Nicole leaned and she obeyed and she moved closer and closer. 

And then the handcuffs snapped. 

Apparently, having a demon living in your body gives you some super strength. 

Wa - _The demon_ threw her against the barn. Her back slammed in a wood beam. And then the demon jumped atop her with a hand on her throat. And for a moment, for a very serious moment, Nicole thought she was going to die like this.

She thought she was going to die on the barn floor with Waverly Earp choking the life out of her with eyes black.

And then, she smiled. She smiled as the demon choked her, because dying underneath Waverly Earp was not a bad way to go. Dying looking into Waverly’s face wasn’t the worst last sight. And strangely, this brought her to a sense of peace. She stopped struggling. 

“I love you,” she managed to whisper. 

The demon’s eyes went brown like sh - _it_ didn’t expect to hear it. Like Waverly, deep, deep in there, didn’t think Nicole loved her anymore. And the demon’s grip loosened and Waverly was shining through. 

“I love you,” Nicole repeated. Tears had been streaming down her face. It was then that Wynonna stormed into the barn. She had heard the scuffle from outside.

And the moment Wynonna entered, the real Waverly disappeared and the grip tightened the world got weird and blurry and full of dark spots. Wynonna had pulled Waverly off, screaming horribly. And Doc and Dolls ran in to help, and as they tore Waverly from Nicole, the demon sunk its nails into her skin and marred it. Nicole let out a cry of pain. 

Now, she sat in Waverly’s room. All alone. Bruises lingered on her neck and back. She steadied her breath and - 

“Nicole? She heard someone rap their knuckles against their door. It was Wynonna. “You in there brooding? Come out, will ya. Dolls found something,”

\---

Nicole came down the steps, following Wynonna, and she pretended she didn’t see both Doc and Dolls do a double-take when they saw her. 

It had been a long time since the boys were able to get a good look at her without any baggy clothes and in the light of day. 

She was thinner from lack of eating. Dark, bags lived under her eyes. Her hair had lost its usual shine since...well, everything. 

Dolls took a moment to observe her and then resumed the speech he no doubt had started before. “To get the demon out of Waverly, we need to attack it when it’s vulnerable,”

“Well, no duh,” Wynonna scowled. “I could have told you that,”

“ _Earp._ ,” He cut her off with a scolding glance, then continued, “Now, we have what we need to attack it,” He motioned to the strange arrangements of items on the table. “And now, we know how to get it vulnerable. The demon needs to be transferring to a new host when it’s in that period of transition and then we weaken it with the holy objects and then Wynonna - “

“Sends it to Hell with Peacemaker!” she replied enthusiastically. The chance to save her sister had clearly improved her mood. She paused though and looked around, self-doubt clouding over her. “But what if I’m not quick enough?”

“You will. You’re the goddamn heir, Wynonna Earp. If anyone has this, it’s you,” Doc assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

Wynonna still looked unconvinced. “What if the demon transfers to the new host…? Who will even - “

“Me!” Nicole stood up. “I’ll do it. I’ll offer myself up as the new host,”

Wynonna blinked. “No offense. Haught-and-bothered, but you’re not exactly looking too good these days,”

“I’ll _make_ myself enticing,” Nicole decided through gritted teeth. She got up. It was final. 

“Wait, Agent Haught. Maybe we should discuss - “

But Nicole was already out the door. 

\---

Nicole sat patiently by Waverly’s bedside with her knees pressed to her chest and her head on her knees. She folded herself up so much it was almost like she wanted to disappear within herself. 

Waverly was sleeping soundly. Her wrists were red and raw from thrashing. And Nicole couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for the pain that she would feel when she finally woke, when the transfer was complete. 

“You know, you’re being a real reckless here, Haught-dog,” Wynonna said in soft voice, leaning against the door frame. 

“You shouldn’t be in here,”

Wynonna shrugged. “She’s sleeping,”

“ _It’s_ sleeping,” Nicole corrected, but Wynonna shook her head passionately and strided over. 

“No,” she clarified and pointed to the sleeping form. “Look at her, Haughtness. _Really_ look at her,” And then a soft smile slided across Wynonna’s features. “ _That_ is my sister,” 

Nicole supposed she was right. She looked up at her friend who now had taken a position at the end of Waverly’s bed. 

“I’m going to offer myself up to it,” Nicole told her with great determination. “Whether you like it or not,”

“I know,” Wynonna supplied. “Just for the record. I don’t. I think it’s really stupid. Stupid and brave, sure, but real stupid,” 

“It won’t kill me. If anything, it’ll use my body to kill you,” Nicole offered up as if that was at all better. She suppose it was nowadays. “But if I ever hurt - “

“I’ll take you out,” Wynonna promised her. Nicole couldn’t help but wonder how many times this poor Earp had to do that - had to take out people she loved, had to make promises that were wearing away at her. 

Nicole blinked back tears. “...Thank you,” She didn’t know what else to say. 

“You know, most people try to impress their girlfriend’s sisters by taking them out to eat or wooing them with fancy shit, but you? You sacrifice yourself to demons to win me over,”

“Well, is it working?”

There was a pause as Wynonna cocked her head to the left like a puppy would, a sweet and innocent gesture as her eyes filled with love. “Yeah, Nicole,” Wynonna smiled. “Yeah, it is,” 

\---

Doc and Dolls entered the barn with great hesitation. They looked at Waverly like she was beast about to snap and rip their heads off. It sickened Nicole that people could look at Waves like that. 

“You ready, Agent Haught?” Dolls asked, putting all his focus on her. He was holding the holy water and holy cross in his hands. If Nicole was at all religious, she may have taken a moment to pray, but instead, she nodded. 

“One way or another, we’re getting Waverly back,” Nicole told them. They nodded too. The unspoken words rang in their ears. She sat down in the chair, digging her nails in the armrests. “If things go south…”

“They won’t,” 

“But if they do, let Waverly know it isn’t her fault,”

The three all exchanged worried glances but nodded in unison.

“Alright, then,” Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle, because this was not what she signed up for when she moved to Purgatory to be a deputy. Not in the slightest, but Hell, she wouldn’t have it any other way. “Let’s get this demon out of my girlfriend,” 

\--- 

If you asked Nicole what happened that night, what _really_ happened when Dolls started to speak Latin to coax the demon out of Waverly, what happened when Nicole pointed her gun at Wynonna to entice and prompt the possession, what happened when Dolls threw the holy water at the dark goo that seeped from Waverly’s fingertips, eyes, nose, and mouth, what happened when the dark ooze slithered toward her and wrapped itself around the leg, what happened when Doc ran and restained Nicole as the possession started, what happened when Peacemaker was fired, when Waverly screamed, when the pits of Hell opened in the homestead….

Nicole wouldn’t be able to tell you, because the second the ooze touched her, she was miles away, miles and miles away in her own head. 

All she could see was darkness. Images would flash by - Dolls throwing her a shotgun, Wynonna laughing and drinking, Waverly kissing her, Doc giving her a sneaky thumbs up at the station…. Images would flash by and disappear and flash by and vanish and Nicole would scream out for them to stay, because when they were gone, she was left with darkness.

And then she heard, it’s voice. 

“ _You will kill Wynonna_ ,”

“No,” 

“ _You will. You are worthless. You are a pawn. And you will kill the Earp heir. You will the heir and finally be useful for once in your miserable life_ ,”

“...Wa….verly,” she was being drowned out, drowned out in her own head by a new voice that pushed her around to make room in her subconscious. She felt as if she was being suffocated. As if she was slowly dying. As if the life was being drained and consumed by this beast. 

“ _You really think she can save you? She doesn’t even love you. You are nothing to her. She is using you_ ,”

It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. 

“ _You are a NOTHING! NOTHING TO HER! Your mother and father couldn’t accept you_ \- “

“STOP!”

“ _THEY COULD NOT LOVE YOU! YOUR OWN PARENTS! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK SHE CAN!_

“I love her,”

“ _YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A FREAK, A DISGRACE, AN UNLOVED MISFIT CAST AWAY IN PURGATORY TO ROT ALONGSIDE YOUR CAREER!_ ”

“That’s not true. That’s not…” But it felt true. It felt very true. 

“ _Oh, but it is. It is, Officer. It is true. You will never belong. You will never belong anywhere. You could not belong in your old town, in your family home. What makes you think Purgatory is any different? What makes you think anywhere is any different?”_

“I have a home,” Nicole said. “The homestead… It’s home. I…” 

_“ _Until, you and Waverly break up. It’s inevitable. I’ve been in her head, Officer. I know the truth_ ,”_

“SHUT UP! You don’t get to talk about her like that!” 

_“ _No one will ever love you, Nicole Haught. You are alone. You are alone. You are alone._ ,”_

Nicole let out a scream. The pain was more intense now. It was fire in her lungs. It was fire in her body. Dark ooze was filling her, filling her mind and killing her slowly, taking over. And Nicole screamed as it did, because the pain was unbearable. It was killing her. The demon was killing her, ripping her away from her body, ripping her away from everything. And Nicole screamed until she heard Waverly’s voice. 

_“Wynonna!!”_

It was soft. A whisper during a hurricane. And it was beautiful. And it was Waverly. _Her Waverly_ using her own voice. 

“Wynonna, you have to kill it now! It’s about to fully enter her body! SHOOT NOW!” 

And then there was a gunshot and then the pain stopped but the darkness remained. 

“Baby,” 

Waverly again. She knew that voice anywhere. 

“Nicole, baby. It’s me. I need you to open your eyes,” 

They opened slowly. And it was Waverly kneeling in front of her. And it was Waverly touching her hair like she was touching her for the first time. And it was Waverly who was rubbing the pads of her fingers against her skin. 

Then, there was Wynonna who stood tall behind her sister, holding her gun. “You made good on your promise, Office Haught-and-cold,” She looked at her sister, affection pooling in her eyes. “Thank you,” 

“It was…” Nicole didn’t know what to say. What do you say when you just offered yourself up for demon possession? “No problem. Anything for Waverly,” 

“You did it,” Waverly whispered with a small smile. “You really did it, Nicole. I knew I would see you again,” And there were tears streaming down her beautiful face. How did Nicole miss that? How did she not see that her girlfriend was crying? “I missed you,” She looked up at her sister. “And you, Wy. And you, boys,” Doc and Dolls grinned sheepishly. “God, I love you,” And she was crying. Sobbing. Weeping. 

Nicole lept forward, without thinking, wrapping Waverly in her arms. For a moment, Waverly tensed. She was so used to people restraining her, but this wasn’t restraining. This was protecting and loving and safe. It was safe. And Nicole held her in her arms until Waverly regained her composure. 

Waverly leaned back, mopping up the tears with her sleeve, and she did this breathy little chuckle that made Nicole’s heart sing, and then she kissed her. Waverly - the _actual_ Waverly - kissed Nicole for the first time in a while, and Nicole practically melted because it was exactly what she needed and it was everything she dreamed of and…. 

….And Wynonna was standing right behind them. 

“Oh, gross. Ew,” Wynonna pretended to gag. “Could you two suck face somewhere else?” 

“Gladly,” Waverly mused. 

And Nicole couldn’t help laugh, because in that moment, surrounded by people she loved and cared about, she knew for certain the demon’s words were lies born from her insecurities and warped and convoluted. The demon had lied, because Nicole had found her home. 

**Author's Note:**

> I was going through a hard time when I wrote this, but I am so glad I did. Not only did I find this very cathartic, but it also got me in the Wynonna Earp mood! I'm so excited for season two!! And figured I should post this before canon completely dismantles it. :) I apologize for any errors. 
> 
> If you want to talk, send me prompt, or whatever, hit me up on tumblr @trappedinyourwords


End file.
